Where did the United States Semiquincentennial Commission hold its first meeting in 2018?

The United States Semiquincentennial Commission held its first meeting at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 2018.

The commissioners were sworn in and held their first organizing meeting on November 16, 2018. Congress selected Independence Hall because of its direct connection to two foundational American documents: the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Independence Hall was known as the Pennsylvania State House during the 18th century. The Second Continental Congress met there when it adopted the Declaration in 1776, and the Constitutional Convention met there in 1787. The building’s name reflects its later historical significance.

A frequent mix-up is Federal Hall in New York City, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president in 1789. Faneuil Hall is in Boston, while Constitution Hall is a separate venue in Washington, D.C. These buildings are historically important but were not the commission’s first meeting site.